http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b.../2008-04-12_mets_dont_need_rick_n_roll-1.html
BY BILL PRICE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The baseball season isn't even two weeks old, and the Mets are already facing a major crisis.
This has nothing to do with the mounting losses, the weak hitting and the shoddy fielding. Willie Randolph says those things aren't a big deal, and I believe him.
No, the crisis is the Mets' inability to find their eighth-inning song.
In case you missed it, the Mets are desperately trying to find the right tune to start the eighth inning at home games. They ran a poll on their Web site to get fans' votes on this issue, but due to an Internet phenonemon called Rickrolling, Rick Astley's No. 1 smash from 1987, "Never Gonna Give You Up," was the winner.
Rickrolling, by the way, is an Internet prank where you will be duped into clicking on a link that will send you to Astley's video on YouTube. Another aspect of the 'Roll is playing the song loudly in public places to distract and annoy unwilling listeners - which is exactly what happended Tuesday at Shea, where the song was played and greeted with enough boos you thought Scott Schoeneweis was singing.
The Mets, who like tens of millions of Americans were not pleased with being Rickrolled, and have hinted they will disqualify Astley's gem.
But if you think about it, Astley is a perfect guy to represent the Mets, since he, like the boys from Queens, had a few good years in the mid-1980s and hasn't topped the charts since.
Another nominee, The Foundations' "Build Me Up Buttercup," is also in the running, and it too is perfect for the Mets. It tells the story of a guy who keeps getting his hopes built up, only to be let down again and again. Sounds like a Mets fan, doesn't it?
We have our own nominees.
The Mets could play Guns 'n' Roses' "Patience" as a plea to the fans to keep the faith. Or how about "Stay" by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs in an effort to keep those fans who are thinking about traffic on the Grand Central? Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," would serve a double purpose. Not only would it compel fans to not give up on the Mets, but some may actually start discussing the controversial "Sopranos" ending and not notice Joe Smith getting torched right in front of their eyes.
There's another solution: Give each reliever his own tune.
Just imagine Schoeneweis jogging out of the pen to Beck's "Loser," or Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give it Away," or Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing," or . . . oh, you get the point.
Aaron Heilman - he who gave up the NLCS-winning home run to Yadier Molina in 2006 - could stroll in to "Heartbreaker." We like the Led Zeppelin tune, but if the Mets want to keep the 80s theme going, Pat Benatar's effort with the same name will do. Of course, "Start Me Up," by the Stones could be mixed in every once in a while to rib Heilman about his desire to be in the Mets' rotation.
BY BILL PRICE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The baseball season isn't even two weeks old, and the Mets are already facing a major crisis.
This has nothing to do with the mounting losses, the weak hitting and the shoddy fielding. Willie Randolph says those things aren't a big deal, and I believe him.
No, the crisis is the Mets' inability to find their eighth-inning song.
In case you missed it, the Mets are desperately trying to find the right tune to start the eighth inning at home games. They ran a poll on their Web site to get fans' votes on this issue, but due to an Internet phenonemon called Rickrolling, Rick Astley's No. 1 smash from 1987, "Never Gonna Give You Up," was the winner.
Rickrolling, by the way, is an Internet prank where you will be duped into clicking on a link that will send you to Astley's video on YouTube. Another aspect of the 'Roll is playing the song loudly in public places to distract and annoy unwilling listeners - which is exactly what happended Tuesday at Shea, where the song was played and greeted with enough boos you thought Scott Schoeneweis was singing.
The Mets, who like tens of millions of Americans were not pleased with being Rickrolled, and have hinted they will disqualify Astley's gem.
But if you think about it, Astley is a perfect guy to represent the Mets, since he, like the boys from Queens, had a few good years in the mid-1980s and hasn't topped the charts since.
Another nominee, The Foundations' "Build Me Up Buttercup," is also in the running, and it too is perfect for the Mets. It tells the story of a guy who keeps getting his hopes built up, only to be let down again and again. Sounds like a Mets fan, doesn't it?
We have our own nominees.
The Mets could play Guns 'n' Roses' "Patience" as a plea to the fans to keep the faith. Or how about "Stay" by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs in an effort to keep those fans who are thinking about traffic on the Grand Central? Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," would serve a double purpose. Not only would it compel fans to not give up on the Mets, but some may actually start discussing the controversial "Sopranos" ending and not notice Joe Smith getting torched right in front of their eyes.
There's another solution: Give each reliever his own tune.
Just imagine Schoeneweis jogging out of the pen to Beck's "Loser," or Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give it Away," or Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing," or . . . oh, you get the point.
Aaron Heilman - he who gave up the NLCS-winning home run to Yadier Molina in 2006 - could stroll in to "Heartbreaker." We like the Led Zeppelin tune, but if the Mets want to keep the 80s theme going, Pat Benatar's effort with the same name will do. Of course, "Start Me Up," by the Stones could be mixed in every once in a while to rib Heilman about his desire to be in the Mets' rotation.
